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U TE STATES PATENT OFFI E.

THOMAS E. WRA IGHT, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO A. T. BYERS, OF SAME PLACE.

DASH-MOLDING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 224,317, dated February 10, 1880.

' I Application filed October 6, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'THoMAs E. WRAIGHT, of the city of Springfield, in the county of Clarke and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Dash- Moldings, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact specification.

My invention relates to the open tubular moldin g used for the top finish of dash-boards; and it consists in a peculiar formation of a portion of'the slot, whereby the outer ends of the V rails ormolding-sections are more effectually prevented from being displaced and torn from their fastenings; also, of a device for securing the connection of the two sections of molding at the middle of the dash-board in a firm substantial manner, and at the same time allowing said sections to be detached for repairs or otherwise when said device, covering-their joined ends, is loosened for that purpose,

Heretofore the plain tubular molding used.

for dash-boards, having an open slot'its entire length on one side, has been made with said slot of uniform width throughout, so that the com- 2 5 pression .upon the edges of the face-leathers was alike-the whole length of the molding;

but my object is to form this slot narrower at the exposed ends for about one and a half or two inches, (from line (1 to the outer end, as

0 shown in Figure 1 andiu the view of the under side of the rail-section a, Fig. 2,)f0r the purpose of causing that part of it to compress the face-leathers very tightly when driven on, as

it is with a wooden mallet, the outside end of 5 the molding being closed before it is placed upon the dash. V

To adapt my molding to the abovepurpose it is niade in two sections-11 a, and driven on from each end of the dash.

Where the sections connect at the centera clip, I), is slipped over the union. This may be made of spring-steel, or it may be made of the same material as the rail, and its lower edges extended down below the rail sufficiently 4 5 to allow room for the small screw-bolts c to be inserted through it and the intervening leathers of the dash, as shown in Fig. 1.

A small plate, a, may be placed on one side below the line of the lower edge of the molding, into which the threaded ends of the screws 0 can enter. This will give a better finish to the clip, the edges-of which can also be chamfered to make the molding as smooth and even as possible at this part.

When the molding-sections a a are driven on the dash A and the clip?) tightened down upon their connecting ends, asseen in Fig. 1, they cannot be withdrawn endwise, nor can the outer end get loose and slip off, as a molding having a slot of uniform width only frequently does,when the screw or nail usually inserted in its end gets out, This latter circumstance'is common after-much use.

In Fig.2, a shows the ordinary width of slot, and-b' the narrow part used to compress the edges of the leathers near the end. Fig. 3'showsan end view of the clip Z) and the relative positions of the nut-plate c and bolt 0.

I am aware that dash-moldings have been made in two parts, and the same have been put together and permanently fastened with solder, or otherwise secured; but I do not claim this mode of securing the connecting ends of the sections, as the purpose of detaching the same for replat-ing or repairs would be frustrated by such soldering.

1 therefore claim as my improvement- 1. Asectional molding, a, having that partof its slot 1) at the outer end thereof made narrower for the purpose of compressing the edges of theface-leathers more tightly at this point, as hereinbefore specified. v

21111 combination with the molding-sections a a and the face-leathers of the dash-board A, the clip b, having bolts 0 and nut-plate c, as

' andfor thepurpose setforth.

3. A detachable clip for covering the connection offmolding-sections in a dash-board, as and for the purpose specified.

THOMAS E. WRAIGHT.

Attest:

B; G. CONVERSE, 0. Corn. 

